Critical Elements Announces the Appointment of Mrs. Ani Markova as Director and the Results from the Annual Shareholders Meeting

MONTREAL, QUEBEC / ACCESSWIRE / September 17, 2021 / Critical Elements Lithium Corporation (the "Corporation" or "Critical Elements") (TSX.V:CRE) (OTCQX:CRECF) (FSE:F12) is pleased to announce that at its Annual shareholders meeting (the "Meeting") held on September 16, 2021, shareholders of the Corporation approved all the resolutions, as follows:

  • Election of Eric Zaunscherb, Jean-Sébastien Lavallée, Steffen Haber, Marc Simpson, Matthew Lauriston Starnes, Marcus Brune, Ani Markova as directors; and
  • Appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors.

The Board of Directors of the Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Ani Markova, MBA, CFA, CDI.D as an Independent Director.

Mrs. Markova is a senior executive and an award-winning portfolio manager with more than 15 years of experience investing in the mining and metals industry. She is currently a corporate director with Golden Star Resources and SilverCrest Mining. She is the Chair of the Safety, Environmental and Social Sustainability Committee at SilverCrest and a member of the Corporate Responsibility Committee at Golden Star. She also sits on their Audit and Governance and Compensation committees. She is the Founder and CEO of Investor View Advisory, which is engaged with public companies on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and integration. Mrs. Markova holds an MBA from George Washington University in Washington DC, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Canadian Investment Management (CIM), and Corporate Board International (CDI.D) designations.

In connection with this appointment, Mrs. Markova has been awarded 200,000 stock options of the Corporation at an exercise price of $1.35 per share for a term of five years.

"We are pleased to appoint Mrs. Ani Markova to the Critical Elements Board of Directors," stated Jean-Sébastien Lavallée, CEO of Critical Elements. "Her governance, advisory, investor, professional and executive experience strengthens and complements the experiences of our incumbent Board of Directors."

Mr. Charles B. Main and Mr. Jean-Raymond Lavallée were not standing for re-election at the Meeting held on September 16, 2021. "The Board of Directors thanks both Mr. Main and Mr. Lavallée for their contributions during their tenures, " said Eric Zaunscherb, Chairman of the Corporation.

About Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

Critical Elements Lithium Corporation aspires to become a large, responsible supplier of lithium to the flourishing electric vehicle and energy storage system industries. To this end, Critical Elements Lithium is advancing the wholly owned, high purity Rose lithium project in Quebec. Rose is the Company's first lithium project to be advanced within a highly prospective land portfolio of over 700 square kilometers. In 2017, the Company completed a robust feasibility study on Rose Phase 1 for the production of high quality spodumene concentrate. The internal rate of return for the Project is estimated at 34.9% after tax, with a net present value estimated at C$726 million at an 8% discount rate. Capital cost parameters were confirmed in 2019 by Primero Group in the context of a Guaranteed Maximum Price under an Early Contractor Involvement agreement, as a prelude to an Engineering, Procurement and Construction process. Detailed engineering for Phase I is expected to conclude this year as the Company plans to deliver technical studies for Phase II; the conversion of spodumene concentrate to high quality lithium hydroxide. In the Company's view, Quebec is strategically well-positioned for US and EU markets and boasts exceptional infrastructure including a low-cost, low-carbon power grid featuring 93% hydroelectricity. The project has received approval from the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change on the recommendation of the Joint Assessment Committee, comprised of representatives from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Cree Nation Government; we await similar approval under the Quebec environmental assessment process near-term. The Company also has a strong, formalized relationship with the Cree Nation.

For further information, please contact:

Jean-Sébastien Lavallée, P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer
819-354-5146
jslavallee@cecorp.ca
www.cecorp.ca

Cautionary statement concerning forward-looking statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian Securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "scheduled", "anticipates", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to the completion of the Project's approval, the completion of the provincial permitting process, mineral reserve estimates, mineral resource estimates, realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates, capital and operating costs estimates, the timing and amount of future production, costs of production, success of mining operations, the ranking of the project in terms of cash cost and production, permitting, economic return estimates, power and storage facilities, life of mine, social, community and environmental impacts, lithium and tantalum markets and sales prices, off-take agreements and purchasers for the Company's products, environmental assessment and permitting, securing sufficient financing on acceptable terms, opportunities for short and long term optimization of the Project, and continued positive discussions and relationships with local communities and stakeholders. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Although Critical Elements has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: the completion of the Project's approval, the completion of the provincial permitting process, Critical Elements' ability to secure sufficient financing to advance and complete the Project, uncertainties associated with the Company's resource and reserve estimates, uncertainties regarding global supply and demand for lithium and tantalum and market and sales prices, uncertainties associated with securing off-take agreements and customer contracts, uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts, uncertainties with respect to optimization opportunities for the Project, as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's year-end Management Discussion and Analysis dated August 31, 2020, the Company's Annual Information Form dated August 3, 2021, and other disclosure documents available under the Company's SEDAR profile. Forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and Critical Elements disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is described in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation